Samsung NC20 stands out

The Samsung NC20 is now available in Australia and PC Authority has taken a look to see how it stacks up against its biggest rival, the Dell Inspiron Mini 12. Like most reviewers, the screen quality and size and the keyboard are all great draw points, as is the performance and battery life.

"Whichever way you cut it, the NC20 blurs the line between ultraportable and netbook with impressive aplomb. The higher screen resolution is a significant step up and this, coupled with good performance and great battery life, makes the NC20 an ideal travelling companion. A netbook success for Samsung's first entry."

VIA: Second largest processor supplier

Oooh, what a headline! Now, no, VIA has not toppled AMD off the second spot on the shelf and they're not likely too soon, or maybe not in the desktop space but they're making huge headway in the netbook and notebook space. Lenovo has just placed a huge number of orders with Taiwanese manufacturers, including VIA. The US$3.255 billion dollars worth of orders this week included US$50 million with VIA, making VIA the second largest processor supplier for Lenovo, second only to Intel. One of Lenovo's IdeaPad S12 models features a VIA Nano processor. - TradingMarkets

More Shanzai-nanagans

The Asus Eee PCs have probably been a bit of a thorn in VIA's netbook side really. All that mighty Asus/Intel marketing, touting their little netbooks as revolutionary, while at the same time, VIA's NanoBook reference design churned out masses of similar devices in China. It's in the great PC manufacturing giant that is China that we find ourselves again today with news of an ironic turn of events, an Asus Eee PC clone which features a VIA Nano processor.

"Incidentally, the VIA Nano processor is touted to perform better than the Atom under selected circumstances, and when priced lower, it does make for an alluring replacement. No idea on whether the knockoff will sell similar to the Eee PC 1002HA's price range, but we're probably looking at something more wallet-friendly."

VIA Nano in Shanzai clone

A netbook that looks just like an Asus 1002H but isn't, features not only a VIA Nano processor but the VX855 chipset which makes it HD playback capable, unlike the real deal. Shanzai.com have a whole bunch of photos of the copy-cat and suggest that the VIA Surfboard platform is an attractive option for brand cloners in the China manufacturing scene, because of the 1080p support it provides.
"It's been a year now since VIA Technologies launched their GMB alliance, a project that brings together key manufacturing and infrastructure partners players in Shanzhen. The idea being that by working closely with the manufacturing base in China, VIA will see improved up take of its processors, luring the shanzhai crowd away from Intel. One of the tempters that VIA is using to achieve this is it's HD capable VIA VX855 chipset, featured on their surfboard reference design (below), a specially designed netbook mainboard that is being offered to partners in the GMB."

HP 2133 a "brilliant product and a top-buy"

It must be at least a year now since the HP 2133 Mini-Note was released. At least it feels like a year. It was the first really major netbook design, from a household brand name manufacturer, for VIA's C7-M processor. It's still impressing and making headlines.
"The 8.9″ WXGA display of this business notebook comes with a 1280 x 768 pixel resolution. The image quality is something that I can’t miss mentioning. The color is rich, the back-light even, and the contrast crisp; add all of this together you get an awesome picture quality. The display is scratch-resistant and also features a protective coating that keeps glare away."-bestminilaptopreviews

Lenovo IdeaPad S12: solid is the word

Netbooks are still often referred to a mini laptops and the word mini brings with it connotations of flimsiness, breakable even. People who've had a chance to play around with the Lenovo IdeaPad S12, which features a VIA Nano Processor, think it's pretty tough:
"If you are looking for a solid and a strong laptop, this is the right laptop you can opt for. It has a solid battery too. It has solid hinges. Everything is good on it. Even the frame of the laptop is good. So, it is a durable laptop. It is not easy to break it or cause it damage. Besides, there are white laptops which look good, but you will face some problems when it comes to cleaning because white laptops get dirty very quickly. Black laptops, on the other hand, are not that bad when it comes to cleaning since they don't get dirty very easily."-Ultimate Product Reviews.

VIA dominates netbook choice

It's a good thing to see that in a round up of netbooks being trialled by jkOnTheRun's daughter, the majority feature a VIA Nano processor. It seems that the netbooks he recommends usually feature the cool CPU.
"It was good to hear her thoughts on all of the netbooks. She ended her visit convinced that a $400 netbook is all she needs, and she’ll consider that next time she plans to purchase a laptop."

Wrong again: 12.1" it is!

I just finished blogging about how 10 inches is the new netbook norm. Nope!
"I finally got my netbook. In the end I went for the Samsung NC20. This is a ‘larger-screen netbook’ and it has a 12.1″ screen as opposed to the 9″ and 10″ screens more commonly found on netbooks."

The blogger is talking about the Samsung NC20, a netbook design which it seems is seeing no end to its popularity.
"If you want a very portable laptop for a reasonable price I can’t recommend the Samsung NC20 enough."

Remember the Sylvania g?

Before I talk about the VIA netbook in this blog I'm going to go off tangent for a little bit and talk about the blog itself. There are all sorts of reasons to blog and while some lucky and talented few have managed to grow their blogs into profitable websites, this blog network appears to be set up simply to make money. The content therefore isn't really all that focused, they just blog on things and include various links to ads. The netbook chosen for the blog is a case in point. The Sylvania g netbook is based on the VIA NanoBook reference design, which was released back in 2007. It features the older VIA C7-M processor and the now not-so-common 7 inch screen. The only reason why this netbook is featured on this "Blogging for Money Project" is for the possibility of commission on sales.

"Truly built for mobility, a built-in webcam and multimedia card reader are included. The g netbook features gOS that includes Google Apps for Linux, OpenOffice, Skype & more!Get yours and go mobile today! Order now!"

These small netbooks have now lost favor for models with 10+ inch screens and Nano processors. But in all honesty, if you really want mobility of the type that is very light and can fit into a small bag, these older designs are great.

HP 2133 Mini-note still impresses

The HP 2133 Mini-note has been around for a long time now but it's still getting great reviews. Come to think of it, has there been another netbook of the same size been released that is as classy as the 2133? It has a fantastic build quality and it hasn't been surpassed yet. This blogger agrees:

"The look of this thing is amazing. It's is completely aluminium finished, giving it a classy, futuristic look - no tacky plastic to be found here like so many other netbooks. When closed it closes right up like an oyster, almost seamlessly, meaning it looks great open or closed."

Very cool almost cartoon-like netbook

OK, here are some specs we've seen before, pretty standard stuff:

"Framemory netpad MPC1020-01 mini laptop comes with VIA C7-M 1.6GHZ, It’s very portable,. It only weighs 1kg with the 3-cell battery and easy to carry. Wireless supports Broadcom 802.11a/b/g, It’s designed to use a 10.2-inch screen, complete with a 1.3-megapixel webcam and mic. it’s works with 1GB DDRII memory and 120GB HDD."-fyi-online.net

As I said, nothing knocks my socks off there. But take a look at this little netbook!!!

It looks like a toy right? This one's definitely targetted at kids.

More on the Kinpo

More news is out about the Kinpo netbook set to hit the shelves in China very soon. The screen size is 11.6-inch. So is it a netbook or a notebook? I think anything below 12 inches is a netbook.
"Coming to provide users with an alternative to the increasingly popular Intel Atom-based netbooks, the new Kinpo N03 is equipped with one of VIA's latest CPUs, a Nano processor featuring a core speed of 1.2 or 1.3GHz."-Softpedia.

VIA Nano chosen for new WiMax equipped netbook in China

Kinpo has revealed a new 11.3 inch netbook that features a VIA Nano processor and built-in 3G/WiMax which matches the Chinese standards. The netbook will apparently be available with a wide variety of configurations, including a choice of Windows Xp or Vista, hard drive sizes and up to 2GB of RAM.

"The company's choice of a Via Nano microprocessor over Intel's popular Atom processor shows the battle between the two processor maker continues to rage in the netbook arena."-PCWorld.com.

The supreme netbook processor?

A lot of reviewers have already tested the VIA Nano processor against the Intel Atom, by testing the Samsung NC20 against the NC10. Now everyone is getting in a fluff about testing the two versions of the Lenovo IdeaPad S12.
"Up until now, I think we’d all agree that the INtel Atom is the processor of choice when it comes to netbooks. As it turns out, one of its biggest competitors could be a better performer for about the same price. That seems to be the case with the Lenovo IdeaPad S12, a netbook that comes with a VIA Nano processor."-MobileMag.com.
The VIA Nano processor is breaking down assumptions.

Crunchgear take alook at the Lenovo S12

Crunchgear give a short review and a long review. I'll just give you a snippet of the short one:
"The Lenovo IdeaPad S12 represents one of the first netbooks to feature VIA’s Nano platform as a configuration option. You’ll gain some extra horsepower over Intel’s Atom setup while saving about $70 off the total system price, making the Nano a good option for those of you who want to watch 720p video."
So the S12 is not only a great notebook but a good option for a portable hi-def video player? Awesome.

Lenovo IdeaPad S12 may hit the right in between spot

According to a review on TechWoa.com, the Lenovo IdeaPad S12 is "neither a complete NoteBook nor a laptop". That may be just what consumers wants - the best of both worlds.

"Lenovo IdeaPad S12 has the option of having either a 1.6 GHz Intel Atom N270 or Via Nano ULV processor with 1GB, 533MHz DDR2 RAM."

The review doesn't compare performance but it does note: "The Via Nano ULV processor is much cheaper than Atom."

It might be time to leave your Intel-powered comfort zone

Newsvine.com has published a review of the VIA-based Samsung NC20 notebook and they lead their introduction by pointing out that the unit doesn't have Intel inside. I think most people are out of that brand loyalty trap now aren't they, when it comes to processors? The NC20 has certainly helped VIA get a lot of good press, with a lot of reviewers comparing performance with Atom notebooks. Newsvine.com is no exception:

"However, it did better at video playback than an Asus EeePC 1000HE, a good Atom-powered unit, indicating that the Nano has a bit more oomph. The NC20 can even play a modest 3-D game like "World of Warcraft" if you can put up with some sluggishness."

12 inch becomes the new netbook

Netbooks were small notebooks, so small in fact that they felt a bit like pretend notebooks when you picked them up. But 12 inches seems to be the new trend. A 12 inch version means that you don't need to squint or scroll so much and the keyboard size is better for adults. Digitimes reports that VIA chips are being sought after for new 12 inch designs:
"The new products will be marketed as netbooks, although they will feature screen sizes in excess of 12 inches. However, don't expect them to be as thin and stylish as CULV-based products, nor as powerful for that matter. On the upside, they could end up rather cheap, and offer punters a cost effective alternative to cramped netbooks or pricey thin-and-lights. " - Fudzilla.

HP 2133 tips

"I currently own two of these netbooks, one high resolution (1280x768) and one low resolution (1024x600), and they are both very good, very solid, and they run a variety of Linux distributions very well. The following are a few comments based on my experience with them:"

Well, I guess this guy should know what he's talking about then. If you own a HP 2133 Mini-Note, this might be worth a read.